Travels Through Germany

And Tales of My Misspent Youth

Ok....too involved with Sister Ray....

We lived in Bldg. 7A...three floors with the "infamous" maid's rooms on the 4th floor. Kathy lived right across from us and Mike lived in the 7B stairwell. Hank lived a couple of buildings away, up the hill towards the "O" Club.

So what did I do with my time that wasn't spent at school or Sister Ray? Let's see, have all those pesky statutes of limitations run out? Wellll....

The AYA (teen club) at Patch was kind of a focal point as was the "Doghouse." We had the post theater that cost about 35 cents for a flick. We were all shocked when a flick cost 50 cents. And then there was the PX at Patch...not that I ever remember seeing anything worth buying. All the good stuff was at the big PX at RB.

Basically, we just sorta hung out doing the socially unredeemable & politically incorrect things of the times.This is why we all almost remember those "maids rooms" with such fondness.

There was a great little restaurant in the cellar of the "O" Club called "La Romantica." Perfect place for a date...lasagna or pfeffersteak for $1.25. During the summer they held the College Night dances there. Great gigs for Sister Ray...still remember the night one of out friends showed up with a strobe....psychedelic as we used to say...


Schiller College (or Schiller International University as it is known today) is an international school with all of its courses taught in english. I didn't have to travel too far to to begin my studies since all of Schiller's freshman & sophomores went to the same campus in Bonnigheim. Bonnigheim is a small town of about 5000 people about 35 minutes from Stuttgart / Ludwigsburg. The campus itself was housed in an 18th century "schloss" or castle in the center of town.

About 70% of the students were from the states. College abroad etc. The rest of us were military brats, diplomatic kids or those whose folks were working abroad.
Where you spent your junior & senior years depended on your major . '72-'73 found me taking classes in Heidelberg where they based the psychology, sociology & philosophy programs. Schiller's HD campus was housed in the Villa Manese.

Heidelberg is located in Baden-Wurttemburg along the Neckar River. A typically old european city, it was spared the ravages of WWII as it had had already been designated as a headquarters for Allied forces after the war's end. The Schloss and the Altstadt remain much they way they've been for centuries.

The Universtat of Heidelberg was founded in 1386. Students at Schiller were able to take courses at the Universtat. Providing your Deutsch allowed you to understand what was being taught. Minor details.

Germany is just as you might picture it from postcards and movies. Castles all over the place, quaint little villages just over the next hill and castles around, seemingly, every bend in the river. Just when you think you've seen it all, there's another unique castle in a fairy tale setting. It can be majestic like Heidelberg or imposing like Aschaffenburg. Inspiring like Neu Schwanstein (the model for Disneyland) or a tiny jewel like Linderhof (modeled after Versailles).

German food tends to be simple, hearty fare. Forget the wurst & pretzel image, think jaegerschnitzel served in some out of the way gasthaus in the Schwartzwald. Ahhhhh....

I began to take advantage of the travels opportunities when I started college. In the states you can travel all day and maybe hit another state. In Europe you can cross 3 or 4 countries in the same period. Ya gotta love those autobahns, autoroutes & autostratas!

My favorite cities are, in no particular order, Heidelberg, Paris, London, Amsterdam & Athens.

It's said that all other countries hate the French and that all Frenchmen hate the Parisians. There may be a grain of truth in that. Parisians can give you the impression that they consider you unenlightened & uncouth because you're not a Parisian. You almost want to say "Hello..Napolean's dead and you haven't won a war for a couple of centuries..." Of course that would be a snotty, uncouth, ugly american type thing to say. So l'll defer to an expert:

"The French complain of everything, and always." Napoleon Bonaparte

That said, Paris is a wonderful city. It's everything you would imagine. If you have any interest in museums whatsoever the Louvre ranks right up there with the British Museum in London and the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

It's the type of place that you feel instantly at home since it seems so familiar. You've seen the Champs Elysee a million times times in photographs & films and then, there you are, strolling up towards the Arc de Triomphe.....the massive "Burger King" sorta spoils the mood though....

French cuisine is interesting. I'm not a gourmet by any means so I really can't discuss the subject intelligently. Let's just say that any cuisine that emphasizes escargot (yeah...snails...) is somewhat suspect. They do have a way with pastry though. The also have the good sense to realize that they don't know anything about chocolate. They solve this problem by stocking up on Belgian chocolate. To my mind, Belgian chocolate is pretty much what God had in mind when he invented it.

London is another place where the "history" of the place just slaps you upside de haid. Tower of London, Big Ben, Picadilly etc. And it's all soooo British. Go figure. Great museums, loads of culture and, a definite plus, they do speak a "form" of English.

You definitely want to go ethnic when you dine though. There's something about dining in the UK. It's almost as if, no matter what's being prepared, the final step in preparation is 8 hours at a rapid boil. They did have an Empire so a lot of culinary styles have been assimilated intact. Some of the best Indonesian & Indian food I've tasted (outside of the region obviously) has been in London.

Athens...ahhh! Cradle of Democracy...Arisotle...Plato...Socrates...Homer. Not Simpson, the other one. You stand at the Parthenon and look down over Athens and out over the Aegean. You realize you're looking out over 5000 years of civilization going back to the early Minoan culture.

The Greeks are wonderful people. Wherever I went, whether in downtown Athens or the harbor of Spetsa watching the sun set in the Aegean, I was impressed by their zest for life. A very "zenlike" enjoyment of the moment.

Aside from their suspect enjoyment of calimari (...squid..) they have a wonderful cuisine. Forget all the "gyros" & "zouvlaki" you've had in the states at "greek" restaurants. It's wonderful there! It's kinda like cajun & creole...once you leave Louisiana, it just ain't the same.

In Greece I felt a real sense of history. Turkey gave me a totally differennt feeling. Several times I experienced a flash of "One more step and you DIE infidel dog."

More to come...

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